


The Witch's Grandson

by jeien



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Witch AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-01 01:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5186768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeien/pseuds/jeien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In his dreams, he saw someone lying on the grass with a ring of roses as blue as midnight surrounding them like a shield. He couldn’t make out the details of his person, except for the pair of sky blue eyes that pierced through the blur of pale colors within a human-like frame. Satsuki told him to forget those dreams every time he tells her about them—the only place blue roses supposedly bloomed are within the forest where the witch resided.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ring of Blue Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know what spurred this idea into motion, but here it is. This is going to be a wild ride of a fic and it might be a pretty bad time to post a first chapter considering I'll be swamped with finals soon. Oops. 
> 
> But I hope you enjoy it!

In his dreams, he saw someone lying on the grass with a ring of roses as blue as midnight surrounding them like a shield. He couldn’t make out the details of his person, except for the pair of sky blue eyes that pierced through the blur of pale colors within a human-like frame. Satsuki told him to forget those dreams every time he tells her about them—the only place blue roses supposedly bloomed are within the forest where the witch resided.

Daiki was too old to be afraid of witches, but he knew he’ll get an earful from Satsuki and his parents if he voiced any idea about going into the forest. _Especially after last time_ , his mother said, _we don’t want to risk anything happening to you_. But Daiki was a mischievous young man of sixteen—and it just so happened that he needed a birthday gift for Satsuki. So one afternoon, while his parents went to mass and left him to clean up the house for Satsuki’s birthday celebration with her family, Daiki made sure to give himself a good ten minutes before sprinting out the door with his rucksack. The roads were clear. He slid down the hill where the old stone bridge stood firm and followed the river downstream to a part of the forest Daiki knew wasn’t fenced off.

He strode into the forest, confident that the blue roses were real and that his feet would lead him there. Even though he hadn’t been into the forest for over ten years, he had spent more time there as a child than anywhere else—often brandishing his poorly-made fishing pole to battle pretend beasts. But one afternoon, he woke up in bed and was told never to go to the forest again. Satsuki told him later that they found him unconscious, although Daiki couldn’t remember what had happened. He shook off all the warnings and undue concerns as he ventured deeper into the sea of foliage. Daiki moved like a breeze, causing the leaves to shudder as he stepped past them. He skipped over the ancient knuckles of trees’ roots and sometimes patted the gruff bark to assure himself that he had the forest’s protection. Eventually, he came across a place where the shrubbery was diligently cut into an open, dirt path. _Well, the worst that could happen is I meet this witch and she curses me or something_ , Daiki thought, _but Mom’s probably worse than she is so it can’t be that bad_.

He went down the dirt path, his boots softly crunching the leaves and loose soil, and ended up in a small clearing. The trees stretched so high above him and their branches weaved together in a canopy so massive that they could be mistaken for gods guarding the secret place from outsiders. Sunlight filtered through the small cracks of that leafy shield, leaving small shapes on the dirt that ambled about like small fairies. Daiki was paralyzed with awe and reverence as his head lolled in every direction to take everything in—maybe it was a sign that he was going to die very soon and that his grave just might be this place.

Ahead of him was a ring of bushes that bloomed blue roses. At the ring’s center, there a young man with eyes the color of the sky, pruning the roses and putting some into a wicker basket. It was just like in his dreams.

“Did you need something?”

Daiki jumped at the sudden question. The young man was looking straight at him. _Oh hell_ , he thought as he approached the ring, _what do I say?_ Before his mind could catch up with his mouth, he blurted out, “Are you the witch?”

The young man turned his attention back to the roses—he was taking the ones in his basket and using the edge of the scissors like a paring knife to cut off the thorns. “No, I’m not the witch. That would be my grandmother.”  

“Oh.” Daiki stepped through a small gap in the ring and crouched next to the young man. “You don’t look like a witch’s grandson.”

“You say that as if you have more witches’ grandchildren to act as points of reference.”

“I don’t. But I can imagine what they’d look like.”

“Let me guess,” the young man said, donning a mirthless smile. “You’re basing it on what your townspeople taught you about the witch. And you’ve been told that the witch was an ugly decrepit old hag that curses whosoever decides to wander into her domain so she could sacrifice them in some demonic ritual that would let loose plagues upon the earth.”

“Close,” Daiki said, “but you forgot the eating babies bit.”

The young man paused in cutting the thorns off the stems and looked back at Daiki with furrowed brows. “Eating babies?”

Daiki shrugged. “Well, babies or small children. I tend to lump them together.”

He heard the young man mumble _That’s certainly new_ before sighing. He resumed his thorn-cutting and said, “Either way, I can assure you that my grandmother doesn’t look that way and does no such thing. In fact, she hasn’t practiced magic within the last thirty years.”

“Seriously? What’s she doing then?”

“Typical grandmother things: feeding small woodland creatures, needlework, cooking, baking. She makes lovely fruit tarts, you know.”

“Huh.” It was difficult for Daiki to reimagine the forest witch—adding a bonnet and a tray full of fruit tarts made his mental picture more disturbing. He passed the young man a handkerchief he was blindly reaching for. “So who does the witchy, magic stuff now if she’s not doing it?”

“Sometimes my mother, but it’s mostly me,” the young man said after quietly voicing a _Thank you_ under his breath. He wiped some dirt from under his fingernails and added, “I’m not a genuine witch, though. I just know enough magic to do work around the house. So don’t think I do the rituals or baby eating myself.”

Daiki snorted. He refrained from commenting that the young man looked too much like a baby himself to be eating them.

“So again,” the young man said. He finished cutting away the thorns from all the flowers he pruned from the bushes and rearranged them in his basket, “was there something you actually needed? Or at you just lost?”

“Oh, right.” Daiki nearly forgot what he came here for. “I was looking for something to give someone as a birthday gift. It’s really weird, but I’ve been dreaming about the blue roses here so I came to see if they were here and—”

“And it’d be a dead giveaway for you,” the young man interrupted; Daiki noticed his shoulders tensing up. “You’re not supposed to be here, right? You’d get into a lot of trouble if you bring those back.”

 _Great, so what now?_ Daiki had to think of something quick so he could get back to the house before his parents return from mass with Satsuki’s family.

“We’ll make a better gift at my house, so come,” the young man said, motioning for Daiki to follow. He then stood up and started to walk further into the forest. Daiki hoped the confused gurgle his throat conjured up hadn’t been as loud as he thought—but he followed the young man out of the rose bush ring without the fear of being cursed or sacrificed for some ritual. Oddly enough, Daiki felt like he could trust this person.

They took another dirt path that eventually connected with a wide stream and another path that ambled beside it. They were both quiet as they walked alongside the stream, letting the sounds of the forest and its inhabitants cover up their crunching footfalls. Daiki eventually spotted a cottage in the distance, atop a small hill: it was two stories high and the roof sloped up into a point with another part of the house branching off a little to the side and making the same pointed shape. There were flowers of all colors that dotted around the path, now made of flat stones, leading up to it. The stream curved around the base of the hill, flowing underneath a wooden bridge that connected their hill to another one a few meters away.

“You don’t have to worry,” the young man said as they approached the cottage. He placed his palm against the front door and it opened by itself. “My parents and grandmother went a few towns over to get supplies from my relatives.”

“It’s not like I was scared or anything,” Daiki argued. It only made the young man huff out a laugh.

The inside of the cottage almost seemed too normal—the main room was a sitting room on one side that blended into an open kitchen at the other side. Both sides were fully furnished with chairs, tables, a curio, and some pillows. There was even a fireplace by the chaise sofa. Daiki followed the young man into a small hallway and up a set of stairs. Instead of an attic, he found the second story to be a workshop. There were multiple shelves crammed with books and loose paper and curios filled with jars of picked animal parts, powders, and other liquids that lined the side walls. Small glass planters bearing herbs dangled from the ceiling close to the back wall, where a window rested. A large desk sat at the center of the room with a stool behind it and a cauldron right beside it.

“Is this gift for your mother?” 

“Huh? Oh, no,” Daiki answered, still half-dazed from observing the workshop. “It’s for my best friend. We grew up together so she’s like my sister.”

“Alright,” the young man said. He began to open the curios and pluck things from the shelves—a few vials of green liquid, a container of course powder, and a jar filled with what looked like hummingbird beaks—before placing the items on top of the desk. He then moved to one of the planters and tore off sprigs of rosemary and thyme. “There’s a mortar and pestle behind you, if you’d be so kind. Oh, and the bucket of water, too.”

Daiki spun around and grabbed the mortar and pestle with one hand and the bucket with the other. He brought both items to the desk as the young man was measuring out the ingredients. The young man took the mortar and pestle from him and motioned for Daiki to pour the water into the cauldron beside them—and as soon as Daiki all but dumped the water in, the young man flicked his wrist, causing a flame to spring up from underneath the cauldron.

“Do you know how to weave?”

“Kind of?” Daiki wasn’t as good as Satsuki or his mother, but he had made a decent enough basket before. “I know how to do it, but I’m not that great.”

The young man pushed the basket of blue roses towards Daiki and said, “Start weaving.”

“I thought you told me these would be a dead giveaway.”

“Just shut up and trust me, please.”

Daiki couldn’t help but smirk as he took the blooms into his hands and set to work. He folded the stems like an accordion to make it easier for them to stay in place once he started to interlace the flowers together. His fingers fell into rhythm soon after: under and over, under and over, turn to the other side, under and over again. He glanced up every now and then to watch the young man as he ground the herbs and the hummingbird beaks into a coarse powder. Once the cauldron was bubbling up to a rolling boil, the young man poured the vials and the powders in. A sharp smell came from the concoction soon after that made nearly made Daiki choke.

“Dear gods, man!”

“Are you done yet?”

“No, but the smell might just kill me first!”

“I’m sure you’ve smelled worse things,” the young man said, trying to fight back a smile. “You look like a farm hand so you’ve probably encountered cattle expulsions and carcasses before.”

“I’ll have you know I’m a fisherman’s son.”

“That’s even worse. I hear the smell of rotting fish is pretty vile.”

 _Smart-mouthed son of a—_ Daiki had to stop himself before he accidentally tore the flowers apart. “If you weren’t helping me right now, I’d deck you in the face.”

“How gracious of you to hold back. But I think I could take you on,” the young man said, flexing a scrawny arm. “I mean, look at these cannons.”

Daiki stared. “You’re joking.”

The young man shrugged and worked on mixing the solution with a wooden pole. “I thought it was funny.”

The minutes ticked away and Daiki soon thanked his lucky stars that the town mass tended to be a few hours long or else he’d have his backside served on a platter. He soon finished weaving the roses into a wide band after several aching finger joints and handed it over to the young man, who then took the band and pressed it flat.

“Wh—?!”

“I know what I’m doing; don’t worry,” the young man interrupted, snuffing out the fire with a snap. He took a pair of tongs from inside a desk drawer and used it to dip the flattened band into the cauldron. The concoction bubbled more and flecks of the weird liquid jumped up like embers seeking out skin. Daiki jerked back as the young man lifted the band out of the solution and placed it onto the table, using the tongs to curve it.

“This dries quickly, so it should set soon,” the young man said. “Wait here.”

He went downstairs, leaving Daiki too nervous about inadvertently causing his own demise to explore the workshop. Daiki did manage, however, to at least cross the room without knocking his head into one of the herb planters and open the window to air out the pungent smell. The young man returned shortly with a thin strand of silver chains and a perfume bottle.

“I take it that your friend is about your age, so I decided on a necklace.”

“Sounds good,” Daiki said. The young man took the band—which was now fully set into a glossy lacquer piece—and quickly pinched the chain strand on both ends so that the silver melted into the band. He pulled his fingers away from the hot metal just as quickly and reached for the tongs, giving the necklace one last dip into the cauldron. By the time the young man took it out and sprayed the perfume to take out the smell, it looked like an artisan piece.

“It looks amazing.”

“I’m glad it turned out to your liking.”

Daiki carefully put the necklace into his rucksack and followed the young man downstairs and out of the cottage: the young man’s family could return at any moment and Daiki needed to make it back to town before mass ended. The pair traveled back to the ring of blue roses in a hurried silence.

“Hey,” Daiki said, as he stepped out of the small gap in the ring—the same one he first passed through, unknowingly entering a world he could never turn his back to anymore. “Thanks again for saving my skin.”

“No, thank _you_ ,” the young man—the witch’s grandson—said. “It was nice having new company for once.”

“You never told me your name.”

The young man stiffened a little. Daiki noticed and muttered a quick _Nevermind_ before turning on his heel to leave. It was probably too much to ask.

“…It’s Tetsuya.”

He stopped and looked back.

“Tetsuya.” The name itself sounded like a spell—full of wonder and familiarity. A warm feeling spread throughout his body as soon as the sounds of the name left his lips. “I’ll remember it. I’ll come back sometime soon.”

Tetsuya smiled. “I look forward to it, Daiki.”

With a last wave of his hand, Daiki rushed back into the foliage. The green guardians watched over him as he ran through the forest as if he was riding on the wind. His feet sprung forward with a new vitality and, like magic, he found himself running towards the underside of the old stone bridge. He saw some specks of people in the distance: mass had ended. It seemed like only a stone’s skip away when Daiki reached home.

He barely had enough time to wrap his present and sweep the floors before his parents came back with Satsuki’s family to celebrate her birthday together. (Of course, he got an earful from his mother about not cleaning up sooner.) Everyone gathered together at the table, readying the food for their small feast and wished Satsuki another happy year. They had all been impressed at Daiki’s gift—which he swore he saved up to purchase a few towns over—and he let out a sigh of relief when Satsuki nearly slammed his body to the floor trying to hug him.

It wasn’t until later that night, after everyone went home and slipped themselves into bed, that Daiki realized Tetsuya knew his name despite never actually introducing himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked it up and "witch" seems to encompass both genders. Warlock interestingly has a more negative connotation associated with it, so I'll refrain from using it when referring to male magic practitioners. 
> 
> Well... we'll see when I get the next chapters up.


	2. The Family Within the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daiki decides to return to the forest to see Tetsuya and ends up with an opportunity to meet the fabled forest witch. He wasn't expecting an entire family gathering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! My last set of finals of my college career and the holidays popped up, as did some unexpected family problems. But I'm very excited to be working on this again. This chapter is unbeta'd, but I might made edits afterwards as I reread it to myself. So sorry for any errors you may catch!

He planned his next visit for when his parents would be out of town for the week to check up on his widowed aunt. Without any other excuse to go on—because there were no coming birthdays to stay back and prepare for—Daiki decided to feign ill. Against his better judgment, but determined to be as convincing as possible, Daiki chugged down a cup of expired milk he had hidden away under his bed the night before they were due to leave. He felt the effects a little before dawn; by the time his mother came in to try and jostle him awake, she found her son retching into the trash bin instead.

It took just as much convincing for Daiki to get them to actually leave him alone for the week since Satsuki and her family were away as well. But he weakly told his mother that he could handle this stomach illness by himself and that his aunt needed them more—and if she really wanted to do something to help him, she could just pray for healing.

As soon as his parents’ wagon disappeared down the road, Daiki snuck out of the house and sprinted towards the old bridge. After making sure no travelers or townsmen were around, he sprinted downstream and into the forest. His felt his stomach churning inside him once the dense foliage safely hid him away. _I can probably ask Tetsu to fix me up_ , Daiki thought. He ought to at least have a remedy for stomach pains.

His feet led him back to the ring of blue rose bushes—this time, Tetsuya sat on the grass like he had been waiting for Daiki’s arrival.

“You don’t look so good,” Tetsuya commented when he saw Daiki’s face. “You shouldn’t have come if you were sick.”

“I made myself sick _because_ I wanted to come,” Daiki said, trying to keep his stomach from lurching out of his throat. “It’s the only way I could get out of going with my folks for a week. I drank expired milk for you, so I think I deserve a little more praise for my ingenuity.”

Tetsuya laughed. “Gross. I wouldn’t call it ingenious, but I’m strangely flattered anyway.”

Daiki was about to retort— _You_ should _be flattered, Tetsu; look how much I want to be friends!_ —but the rolling waves in his stomach forced him to clamp his mouth shut. Tetsuya pursed his lips, trying to quell a smile, as he stood and took Daiki’s hand.

“My grandmother is home today,” Tetsuya said. “If you don’t mind that, then come with me and I’ll see if we have anything to help with your pains.”

“Then let’s go,” Daiki whined. Somehow, the warmth of Tetsuya’s hand was comforting—and considering he had never let Satsuki hold his hand, Daiki had to wonder why he didn’t mind the way Tetsuya held onto him and dragged him through the forest like a lost child. _The winding paths to the cottage look different this time around_ , he thought. Maybe lost child wouldn’t be so far off if he was left to his own devices.

Tetsuya spoke, picking up on Daiki’s musings. “It’s magic. We change this part of the forest every day. Wouldn’t want any unwanted guests at our door.”

Eventually, they reached the wide stream that led to the cottage further down. Like before, the two stayed silent and allowed the forest to fill the air with the sounds of its life. They went up the hill to the cottage and, unlike the last time, the smell of cinnamon wafted in the air.

“It would seem that my grandmother’s making pie,” Tetsuya said. “Or maybe spiced tea.”

He pressed his palm against the door and it swung open. The cinnamon smell grew sweeter as they came into the empty room. Tetsuya hummed in mild confusion.

“I’ll see if she’s in her room,” he said, pushing Daiki towards the chaise sofa. Tetsuya raised himself to his toes and pushed Daiki’s large frame down onto the seat before scurrying off to the rooms past the stairway. The churning feeling returned and he laid on his side, bringing his knees up just enough to calm the tides in his stomach.

Daiki wasn’t worried. If this was all a huge trick to lure him into the clutches of the evil witch, then he’ll just haunt them from the afterlife. But Daiki had a feeling that Tetsuya wouldn’t lie about anything, so he had no evil witch to worry about. Maybe a cross grandmother, but not an evil witch.

When Tetsuya returned with an armful of ingredients, he was tempted to let a joking _No cauldron today?_ slip through his lips. But Daiki’s voice stopped short and rushed back into his throat when he saw the silhouette of a hunching figure behind his friend.

“Tetsuya,” the figure croaked out. Daiki swallowed thickly—what were her next words going to be? ‘You’ve done well, my grandchild, he’ll make an excellent sacrifice’? Or maybe even ‘You’ve worked hard to bring him here; you should complete the ritual instead’? His whirlwind thoughts were halted when he heard the forest witch cough and clear her voice. She then came out from the dimly lit hallway and into the room, with a smile and a pleasant voice that continued with, “is he the one you told me about? Oh, he looks like such a nice young man.”

“I suppose so,” Tetsuya said, walking into the kitchen area and placing his ingredients onto the countertop. “But Daiki is a complete idiot. He even drank stale milk to feign illness.”

“Well, excuse me for not coming up with a better way to get my folks off my back so I could see you,” Daiki interrupted—he covered his mouth soon after to keep the contents of his stomach down. Tetsuya’s grandmother laughed softly, muffling the tweeting sound behind her fingertips, and sat in the chair across from where Daiki half-laid.

“Please do think about your own health though, Daiki,” she told him. “I’m sure Tetsuya would appreciate it more if you came in good shape.”  

“Oh, um. I will,” he said before quickly adding, “ma’am.”

Tetsuya’s grandmother let out that birdsong laugh again. “No need to be nervous, child. I have a reputation far worse than my actual character. If you like, you can call me ‘Gran.’ I’ll treat any friend of Tetsuya’s as if they were my own.”

From the kitchen side of the room, Tetsuya tossed two cinnamon sticks, a thumb-sized chunk of ginger, half a handful of mint, and a pouch of mace into a kettle before filling it with water. He snapped his fingers to light the fire on the stovetop and let the entire thing steep. “So where did Mom and Dad go?”

“They went to meet with your Uncle Masaomi and his family,” Gran answered, placing her folded hands politely atop her lap. “They’re going to help with the supplies this time around so they’ll all be staying for dinner tonight.”

“All of them?”

“It would seem so. Isn’t it nice? We haven’t seen them in so long, especially your cousins. I wonder if they’re getting along now.”

“Probably not.”

 _Tetsu’s relatives?_ Daiki’s stomach gurgled at the thought. He wondered what kind of people Tetsuya’s parents and relatives all were. Gran definitely turned out a lot sweeter than he expected, but a good majority of grandmothers were like that. Parents and uncles and aunts and cousins were different beasts altogether. Tetsuya said that he was the one who mainly practiced magic around the house, but Daiki also remembers that his mother knows how to use it. Does his father? What about his relatives?

The kettle’s piercing whistle broke through his cloud of thoughts. Tetsuya rushed put out the fire with another snap of his fingers and retrieve some cups and saucers.

“Oh, how terribly rude of me,” Gran suddenly exclaimed. She reached over and apologetically patted Daiki’s leg. “Here I am, leaving our poor guest out of the conversation. Do excuse me. I just get so excited when I have a chance to see my other grandchildren.”

Daiki managed an awkward smile despite the pain and forced out a clipped, “It’s fine, Gran.”

Tetsuya pushed a cute little trolley cart that held the kettle, cups, and saucers towards them, setting it beside the fireplace. Daiki sat up a little more on the chaise as Tetsuya poured him a cup.

“Careful,” Tetsuya warned, handing the cup and saucer over. “It’s hot.”

“I know—I’m not _that_ stupid.”

Tetsuya refrained from commenting, but hummed a disbelieving note. Daiki stuck his tongue out at him, briefly forgetting that Gran sat across from him. Tetsuya, much to his surprise, flicked the tip of his tongue out playfully while Gran wasn’t looking. Daiki snorted— _looks like Tetsu isn’t all that mature himself_. He blew on the hot tea before taking a big gulp, letting the relief wash over his stomach.

“Did that help a little?” Tetsuya asked. Daiki grinned.

“I don’t feel like keeling over and dying anymore, so yeah!”

“You’d be surprised with the wonders tea can do for you, dear. No need for magic when you have good natural remedies like that.” Gran leaned closer and quietly added, “Although, I do think Tetsuya whispered a little spell to help it along.”

“Aw, you _do_ care,” Daiki teased. Tetsuya stared blankly at him.

“Maybe I’m only luring you into a false sense of security so it’s easier for me to drag you into a ritual later on.”

A shiver went down Daiki’s spine. “Don’t joke about things like that. And quit it with your face—it’s making think you’re serious!”

“Tetsuya! That’s not very polite,” Gran scolded. “You might just scare him off and then you won’t have a friend anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Gran,” Tetsuya apologized, eyes lowering. He reached for the kettle and poured another cup for her. It might have just been his imagination, but Daiki could have sworn that Tetsuya’s lower lip shook a little. “Anyway, Daiki knows I would do no such thing. Besides, you didn’t raise me to take black magic so lightly.”

“That’s right,” she said. “Always remember: you must never let a curse or hex leave your lips for as long as you live.”

Tetsuya nodded. Daiki was about to ask why, a call came from outside.

“Tetsuya! We could use a hand out here!”

 _Who’s that?_ Daiki thought, watching Tetsuya place his cup down onto the trolley. “Want me to help, too?”

“The ill should just stay back and rest,” Tetsuya said as he rushed out the door.

“Hey, I’m not sick anymore!” Daiki set his cup down and said a quick _I’ll go help_ to Gran before dashing after him. Gran’s smile fell a little once Daiki was out the door. _Perhaps that boy returning to the forest is an act of destiny_ , she thought as she rose to check on the pie in the oven. She only hoped that it wasn’t a bad omen.

There was an older man whose hair held a slightly darker shade of blue than Tetsuya’s own. The color of his eyes was similar to Tetsuya’s, although a pair of large, round glasses shielded them. Tetsuya nodded at something he said and followed him towards the bridge. A wagon rested on the other hill and other people scurried around it, loosening ropes and bringing out packs from within. Daiki ran to catch up to the pair.

“Tetsu!”

The two turned around; the older man’s eyes widened in surprise. Tetsuya huffed, “Didn’t I tell you to stay inside and rest?”

“And _I_ was telling you that I’m fine now and I can help,” Daiki retorted. He looked up at the older man—Tetsuya’s father?—and cleared his throat. “That is, uh, if you’re okay with it, sir.”

“It’s fine,” the older man replied, not expecting to be referred to. “You’re Tetsuya’s friend—What was it again?—Daiki? Am I right?”

“Yessir.”

“Well, Daiki, there’s a lot to be unloaded, so we’d appreciate the help,” he said, holding out his hand. “My name’s Akio Kuroko, by the way. I’m Tetsuya’s father.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Daiki said, shaking Akio’s hand firmly. Akio smiled and motioned the two to follow him to the wagon. They crossed the bridge to the other relatives, who stopped unloading to process the unfamiliar face among them. There was another older man with brown hair and a stern look; he glanced at a woman with grayish hair tied into a bun. Two young men around his age were close to them: a tall one with grayish hair like the woman’s and bored eyes and another with red hair that was as tall as Tetsuya.

“This is Daiki,” Tetsuya introduced. Daiki awkwardly raised his hand in greeting—now that he was the focus of many blank stares, he felt a little weird. “He’s my friend.”

He heard Akio whisper to a black-haired woman—had she always been there?—something close to _The one he was talking about before_ and the woman nodded with understanding. Akio then cleared his throat and said, “Well, I’ll do a round of introductions just to make things quick. This right here is my wife and Tetsuya’s mother, Hiyori.”

The black-haired woman smiled slightly—now he can see where Tetsuya got it from—and bowed her head to him.

“This is my brother-in-law, Masaomi Akashi, and his wife, Miu. And these are their sons, Chihiro and Seijuro.”

Miu gave a cheerful _Hello, Daiki!_ while Masaomi merely nodded his head in acknowledgement. Chihiro gave a curt nod of his own before going back into the wagon to resume unloading. Seijuro walked towards him.

“Daiki, was it?” Seijuro asked. His expression, while soft, had a certain danger in his eyes. It gave Daiki the creeps. “You seem strong, so can you take these crates inside? My stepbrother will help you when he decides to stop being a hermit in the wagon.”

A muffled _I can hear you, you brat_ came from inside. Seijuro chuckled. Daiki hefted the crates with relative ease, taking in the smell of salt and sharp spices that permeated from the wood. _Must be food_. He wondered if he should just place it anywhere inside.

“Gran’ll tell you where to put the crates, Daiki,” Tetsuya said. Daiki froze a little—can magic make you read minds?! “You better put those away inside before you break your back.”

“I’m not an old man!”

Tetsuya and Seijuro watched Daiki’s figure get smaller and smaller until it disappeared through the front door.

“Are you sure it’ll be alright?” Seijuro asked, bending down to pick up some bags. He handed one to Tetsuya, who hummed a thoughtful note.

“I think so,” Tetsuya replied. “I trust him.”

As Tetsuya went to follow Daiki, Seijuro felt his stepbrother’s fist lightly hit him at the back of the head. Chihiro shoved their overnight bags into his arms and made a comment about scheming something. Seijuro only laughed and followed their family towards the cottage.

 _It’s not him I distrust, Tetsuya_ , Seijuro thought. _It’s the rest of the world_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little shorter than the last chapter, but I hope it's worth the wait. I really did want to make Kuroko and Akashi related in this fic, since they were supposed to be siblings in the early concepts. And I think I read one too many Kuroko and Mayuzumi sibling things, so that's how they all end up related! More on the family in the next chapter. 
> 
> I was originally planning to only have this be a three-chapter series, but with how things are developing, it's going to be a lot longer than I had anticipated. It'll be a crazy ride, but I hope you guys stick around for it!


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